Jason Caesar Consolacion
Staff Writer
Review
Artists generally tend to explore new ways to record their music and perform their songs in order to expand their horizons or just get out of the old. Eric Clapton has gone from the hard rockin' styles of Cream to his own hard rockin' style in his solo career.
He ventured into his love of blues, a style he had always applied in his rock albums, with Unplugged and From the Cradle. He even dipped his feet into a little R&B when he teamed up with Babyface for the 1996 hit, "Change the World."
And now, Clapton presents his audience with Pilgrim, which debuted on Billboard's album chart at No. 4. It's a new style for Clapton fans, but it may be a style that could take a little longer to get used to.
The album credits mention the words "synthesizer" and "drum programming" more than any other Clapton release. To say the slowhand has gone electronic would be an understatement. It was almost as if he was too lazy to hire a drummer and find ways to capture authentic sounds rather than use a synthesizer.
But give the guitar god credit for still knowing how to write great music. The songs on the album are some of the most personal and melodic pieces he has ever composed.
The mood obviously centers around the death of his young son. "My Father's Eyes" and "River of Tears" serve as tributes to his child, who accidentally fell out of Clapton's London apartment window in 1992.
And although Clapton won't go on record as saying so, the rest of the album offers references to his son as well. "Broken Hearted," "You Were There" and "Inside of Me" also pay tribute to a life cut short.
There are a few strong musical efforts like "Pilgrim," "One Chance" and "She's Gone," all of which feature Clapton at his best on the guitar.
R&B artists Babyface and Tony Rich are also featured in the album. Babyface offers his background vocals on Bob Dylan's "Born in Time," while Rich backs up Clapton on the soulful "Needs His Woman."
The 14 tracks on the album aren't the greatest collection of music Clapton has put together, but the artist still expresses his feelings best through his six-string and better than ever through his lyrics.
Unfortunately, Pilgrim becomes redundant and a little too mellow for some Clapton fans, and the overuse of electronic devices doesn't help that cause.